Springfield PS School Council Meeting
Meeting: Wednesday, October 11, 2017
6:30 pm, Springfield PS Library
In Attendance:Robert Stancu – Principal
Dave Martin – Teaching Rep
Maryann Baran – Non-Teaching Rep
Hamada Elmoursi – Chair
Melanie Raven – Treasurer
Christine Chung - Member at Large
Ellen Wang – Member at Large
Laura Naismith- Member at Large
Minutes prepared by: Sabine DiSumma
Distribution:
All listed above
1 Welcome and Introductions – Hamada Elmoursi
1.1 Hamada Elmoursi called the meeting to order at 6:30 pm.
1.2 Agenda was approved
1.3 No minutes were reviewed or approved.
2 Election for Council Positions - Robert Stancu
2.1 The following are the council positions for 2017-2018 school year:
Hamada Elmoursi – Council Chair
Melanie Raven – Treasurer
Sabine DiSumma – Secretary/Volunteer Coordinator
3 Principals Report – Robert Stancu
3.1 The Aussi X Community Night was a success. Approximately 250 visitors came to the school to enjoy Parent/Student events hosted by Aussi X and also to partake in the ribbon cutting ceremony to officially open the newly constructed playground.
3.2 EQAO Results for 2017 Grade 3 and Grade 6- Individual results will be sent home for Grade 3 and Grade 6 students should receive them at their new schools. The following results indicate the %’age at or above the provincial level:
Grade 3: Reading Scores: SPS 79%, Board 76%, Province N/A (85% F, 75% M)
Writing Scores: SPS 75%, Board 75%, Province N/A (85% F, 67% M)
Math Scores: 63%, Board 62%, Province N/A (74% F, 56% M)
Grade 6: Reading Scores: SPS 80%, Board 82%, Province N/A (79% F, 82% M)
Writing Scores: SPS 74%, Board 81%, Province N/A (83% F, 64% M)
Math Scores: SPS 39%, Board 49%, Province N/A (38% F, 41% M)
A possible factor that may have contributed to this outcome is the lack of resources that could have been used by students but were not put in place. Springfield has a cluster of special needs students who would have benefited greatly from the use of the assistive technology version of EQAO. There is now a push to use assistive technology on a regular basis which will benefit the students and could have a significant impact on test scores.
The results identified that multistep questions were the most problematic. Teachers will participate in collaborative teams and will focus on the trends from the information collected from the EQAO results. They will also cross-reference across all grade levels so that all teachers are aware of the expectations set out in the EQAO tests which will offer them insight on what they need to ensure that students are prepared.
The results also identified math vocabulary as a problem area. Talking math is critical. Teachers will be placed in focus groups to analyze the math responses from individual students to determine a strategy for implementing math vocabulary in the classroom.
4 Update from Dave Martin
4.1 Jungle Sports takes place week of October 23rd at the school.
4.2 Mansfield trip is scheduled for Feb 14-16, 2018 for Grade 5 and 6 students.
4.3 Students have been participating in Stones which is almost over.
4.4 Next is Scooterball for Grade3 students and Borden Ball for Grade 4-6 students.
4.5 Skating is planned for later in the year along with Hockey.
4.6 A hockey tournament is also planned for later in the school year.
5 Treasurer Report - Melanie Raven
5.1 As of October 11, 2017, SPS council has an available balance of $1,734.37.
Mansfield bussing has been approved for $1200 which is already deducted from the above total. Several approved items that have been pending payment have not been cleared. Due to a change in the accounting system, several items are still showing as outstanding. Robert will check on these items with Cindy. Melanie has requested to receive copies of all transaction receipts in order to be able to track council costs more effectively.
6 Pizza Update – Sabine DiSumma for Maja Bisoondial
6.1 The new Pizza Day coordinator is Maja Bissondial. The new vendor is Vito’s Pizza and Wings on Westlock Rd. They are charging $10 plus HST for an extra large pizza, cut into 8 slices. Cashonline also charges a fee which means that there is minimal profit. For this reason, council has approved to increase the cost per slice to $2.50 for the next term.
The board is pushing to have all schools cashless, but this makes the process of counting and coordinating pizza days more difficult. Having partial cash/cheque and cashonline mixed is time consuming and challenging. Maja will need some help to simplify the counting and data entry process. Christine and Sabine will discuss options with Maja. The form will also need to be updated and simplified. Sabine expressed concerns about parents writing negative comments on pizza forms and receiving email with negative comments. Maja was the only parent who volunteered to take on Pizza this year and council must provide support.
7 Activities for School year 2017-2018
7.1 Parent/Teacher Interview / Teacher Appreciation Dinner takes place November 16, 2017.
7.2 Move-a-thon- tentative date set for March 2, 2018. Money raised will support subsidies for class activities. Some examples are field trips, scientist in the school and artist in the classroom.
7.3 Movie Night- Hamada is planning on hosting a movie night sometime the end of November 2017.
7.4 PRO- funding of $1000 have been received. This money will go towards bringing motivational speaker Q-Mack to the school for an evening with parents and students. The event is planned for some time in the spring of 2018 when it can be held outdoors in order to accommodate a large crowd. Robert will find out availability with Q-Mack.
8 Next Council Meeting:
Next council meeting has been set for Wednesday, November 29, 2017 at 6:30 pm in the Library.
9 Adjournment: Meeting was adjourned 9:00 pm
Springfield School Council Page 1 of 4